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My guess is that the rulesmakers initially required nine players to start and finish a game, but as games went by and teams faced situations where one player became injured, rather than forfeiting the game outright, they created the shorthand rule to allow the game to continue with the lesser penalty of an out recorded each time the empty batting slot came up. For college play, there is no slack given; once a college team loses its ninth player, game over.
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"Let's face it. Umpiring is not an easy or happy way to make a living. In the abuse they suffer, and the pay they get for it, you see an imbalance that can only be explained by their need to stay close to a game they can't resist." -- Bob Uecker
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